11% Have Had Sex with Someone They Met on Facebook

Thinking of poking that special friend? You're not alone.

A new study conducted for the revamped British airing of “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew” shows that 11% of Britons have engaged in sexual intercourse with someone they met through Facebook.

Researchers at OnePoll.com surveyed 2,000 adults with a variety of questions relating to their online habits and sexual activity. The research was commissioned by UKTV channel Really which will be airing tonight. Some other interesting results from those polled:

46% have sent illicit texts to someone other than their partner

35% have included nude photos of themselves in the texts

30% watch porn online by themselves

17% watch porn online with their partner

10% have had sex with a coworker (50% of those while at work)

More than half of those surveyed have had a one night stand, with the average having occurred within the last six months. The results also indicated that Brits engage in sexual intercourse an average of twice per week, each romping lasting about 20 minutes.

With the explosion of sites such as Match, OKCupid, eHarmony, and Zoosk, the idea that more and more people are turning to technology to satisfy their primal urges isn’t particularly surprising. It certainly adds a whole new layer to our posting earlier today aboutFacebook increasing “face-to-face” time. What some readers may not know is that until January 2008, Facebook’s “looking for” field also contained the options “random play” and “whatever I can get”, an explicitly sex-driven focus which Zuckerberg has been eschewing, moreso with his recent portrayal in The Social Network.

But it seems not so long ago that the notion of “meeting someone online” was particularly taboo, eliciting stern warnings of “be careful”, “call me”, “go with a friend” and the like. But as anyone on Facebook can tell you, our personal information is more readily accessible than ever, and with that a verification of identity, which may cause people to have greater assurance in just who it is they’re meeting.

Looking at how courtship and dating have evolved in the last 10 years, the next 10 should prove to be particularly transformative. Will we be sending e-roses while watching Netflix from our respective beds?